Hackers can control almost all Android phones

NINETY-nine per cent of all Android devices are vulnerable to hacking or being completely taken over remotely by cyber criminals

This is the claim of a study by BlueBox security, a mobile security company which claims it has discovered a flaw in the operating system of almost all Google phones and tablets (which runs on the operating system Android) that allows hackers to modify its code in a way that "turns any legitimate application into a malicious Trojan" virus.

The company claims this vulnerability exists on any Android phone or tablet released over the last four years, affecting approximately 900 million devices.

According to the researchers the issue is central to Google's open source operating system and so far only one device has been patched.

The way it works:

Rather than creating a malicious app, cyber criminals wait for legitimate apps to be approved for sale and then go in and modify the code after and create an exploit that allows them to take over people's phones via the app.

This flaw would allow hackers to access your passwords, credit card information, emails, any information you store on your phone.

So what can I do about this?

• Do not allow apps from unkown sources. To do this go to Settings, Security and untick "allow unknown sources".
  
• It's recommended that users update their operating system to the latest version.
  
• if you have any apps which store your personal information such as credit card or PayPal information (like eBay, Amazon or Etsy), you should remove this information immediately.
  
• Remove any personal information from your phone (do you have your credit card pin stored in your notes?